Game Primer & LIVE Blog: How to Watch, Key Players and Important Information for BYU at Kansas
After a hard fought victory at home last week against the Iowa State Cyclones, the Kansas Jayhawks went on the road to Norman and dropped another tight game to the Oklahoma Sooners, extending their road woes on the season. But tonight, they get to play in the friendly confines of Allen Fieldhouse to face off against an unfamiliar foe: the BYU Cougars.
The Cougars are led by 2nd-year head coach Amber Whiting, who is in her first head coaching position. She has a 28-26 overall record at the school.
The Jayhawks and Cougars have never faced each other in women's basketball. BYU is the first of the four new members to the Big 12 Conference that Kansas has played this season.
Check out the essentials below, and then come join us as Andy gives LIVE updates from Allen Fieldhouse. We'll hit on everything that is happening around this matchup:
The Numbers
Editor's Note: Unless otherwise noted, all stats are provided by CBB Analytics. CBB Analytics is a new stats website in college hoops, covering both men and women's basketball in D-I, D-II and D-III. You can follow them on Twitter @CBBAnalytics
Kansas: 10-10 (3-6 Big 12): CBB Analytics Adjusted Net Rating - 65th overall, 60th offense, 63rd defense
BYU: 12-9 (2-6 Big 12): Net Rating - 105th overall, 99th offense, 130th defense
Line: KU -10.5
O/U: 129.5
How to Watch
Wednesday, January 31st, 6:30 p.m. CST
Lawrence, KS: Allen Fieldhouse
TV: Big12 NOW on ESPN+
- Josh Klingler (Play-by-Play), Wayne Simien (Analyst)
Radio: IMG Jayhawk Radio Network
- Steven Davis (Play-by-Play), David Lawrence (Analyst)
Webcast: Kansas Online Radio
Game Coverage
Come join the conversation in the Blue Wings Rising Discord Server.
Opponent Team Form
The Cougars have struggled in their first season in the Big 12, as they basically rate outside the top 100 in most stats nationally. The offense struggles with turning the ball over, especially with pressure from the opponent. That turnover problem means that they don't get a lot of shots, despite being a pretty good shooting team overall. They don't play quickly, preferring to pass the ball around to try and find a good opportunity.
On defense, they don't force many turnovers, instead preferring to box out well and avoid giving up offensive rebounds. But they don't do well at preventing shots, and they haven't been able to affect shots from the opponent very much. They send their opponents to the line at a decent clip. They are pretty good at making life difficult inside the paint, and they get back well in fast break and turnover situations.
Players to Watch
Lauren Gustin - 6'1" Senior Forward
Season: 16.0 pts, 15.4 rebs, 2.0 asts, 0.4 stls, 0.2 blks, 53.6% 2P%
Last 5: 15.4 pts, 14.4 rebs, 1.8 asts, 0.4 stls, 0.2 blks, 51.5% 2P%
Gustin is as close to a point forward as you will probably see in the game today. She is no doubt the star on this team, and almost everything runs through her. She is an absolute monster on the boards, which should make tonight's matchup interesting.
Kailey Woolston - 5'11" Freshman Guard
Season: 13.8 pts, 3.4 rebs, 2.4 asts, 0.9 stls, 0.2 blks, 45.4% 3P%
Last 5: 10.8 pts, 3.8 rebs, 1.6 asts, 0.4 stls, 0.2 blks 29.6% 3P%
Woolston has hit a bit of a freshman wall, struggling to be as productive in the last five games as she has been all season. But she is a legitimate threat to score from outside, and if she figures it out against Kansas, it could make things difficult.
Amari Whiting - 5'10" Freshman Guard
Season: 10.8 pts, 4.9 rebs, 3.8 asts, 1.6 stls, 32.8% 3P%
Last 5: 10.2 pts, 4.4 rebs, 3.2 asts, 1.2 stls, 40.0% 3P%
The freshman point guard seems to have been a bit more selective with her shooting recently, which has lead to a significant bump in her shooting, even as her points have gone down. But she does a lot of things defensively that don't show up in the box score, so she might be primarily responsible for slowing down Holly Kersgieter tonight.
Matchups to Watch
There are two stats that I'm looking at tonight that will likely decide who wins this game:
Rebounding
The Jayhawks are used to having a rebounding edge with Taiyanna Jackson in the middle, but Gustin is one of the few players that can match her intensity on the court. Kansas will need to fairly even in the rebounding department if they want to avoid a difficult evening.
Perimeter Shooting
BYU is second in the conference in 3-point shooting, and much of their efforts are spent passing the ball around to find a good shot. The Jayhawks have done really well defending the perimeter in the last week, and they will need to continue. Plus, it would really help if Holly Kersgieter could get going again from the perimeter or Wyvette Mayberry and Zakiyah Franklin stayed hot after the Oklahoma game.
Prediction
Kansas NEEDS this one, which means that all the pressure is on them in this matchup. But if Jackson and Danai Papadopoulou can handle Crooks enough to pull out a win at home over Iowa State, then I trust the Jayhawks to handle Gustin inside and still provide enough defense to shut down a perimeter offense that isn't quite as talented as the Cyclones.
Kansas 78, BYU 61.
